


Cutting Edge

by kingwellsjaha



Category: The Last Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Experimental Style, Gen, and funny enough also aldhelm/aethelflaed, mentioned: Aethelred/Aethelflaed, popstar au, popstar!aethelflaed, songwriter!aldhelm, you have to read between the lines: erik/aethelflaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29887764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingwellsjaha/pseuds/kingwellsjaha
Summary: Usually referred to as Aethelflaed’s true breakout Album, Cutting Edge presents a total departure from the bubbly pop sound she became famous for. Together with songwriter Aldhelm, who was mostly known for his collaboration with Aethelred at that point, she came up with something truly unique, which she could claim her own.aka an experimental fanfiction describing the third album of Aethelflaed with added commentary.
Relationships: Aethelflaed Lady of Mercia/Aldhelm (The Last Kingdom)
Kudos: 4





	Cutting Edge

**Author's Note:**

> this is just a silly bit based on this [edit](https://volvaaslaug.tumblr.com/post/644403848186855424/i-never-believed-id-be-writing-this-song-a). i wanted to archive it properly. so i post it here.

Usually referred to as Aethelflaed’s true breakout Album, _Cutting Edge_ presents a total departure from the bubbly pop sound she became famous for. Together with songwriter Aldhelm, who was mostly known for his collaboration with Aethelred at that point, she came up with something truly unique, which she could claim her own. The dark somber tone and simple arrangements and strong vocal work became her trademark in the years to come. Rarely has an artist reinvented herself this drastically.

**_Aethelflaed herself has said about the album:_ ** “Cutting Edge meant for me freedom. It was truly the beginning of me trying to define myself as an artist. If I want to be dramatic, I would argue that the album saved me. The creation process was a discovery of myself and deeply personal. It was also the beginning of collaboration with Aldhelm, one of my probably most fruitful relationships till today.”

**_About the Album Cover:_ ** The image presented is a rejected photo for the first album, originally Aethelflaed had wanted for the image to blur completely. “So that no one could perceive me, I would only be a specter. It felt apt because the process of making the album felt the dissolution of myself into something new. I felt unrecognizable and still me. The label intervened. My face needed to be recognizable.”

**Lost** (2:23)

♩♬And you know of the wolves that linger/ But it is too dark to see♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ To Let Myself Go by Ane Brun/ Dial Tones & Shedding Skin by Ghostpoet

> A calm minimal arrangement relying heavily on bass and guitar sets an uncomfortable somber mood. Aethelflaed’s voice starts husky and dark, always on edge but never truly going there. The lyrics are dark and unsettling, evoking animal and nature motifs. The short track sets the entrance to the rest of the Album.

_Aethelflaed:_ “Originally I had wanted _Lover’s Quarrel_ or _Everyone’s Fool_ to be the first song on the Album. I wanted everyone to know from the beginning that this would be a departure from what they are used to from me, but Aldhelm argued against it. He viewed this little song as the perfect entry point and after we had the idea for Lost Part 2 also known as Lost (Again), I knew this had to be the one.”

**Everyone’s Fool** (4:03)

♩♬ But if you would have just gotten drunk at home/ They wouldn’t call you everyone’s fool♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ LAZARUS by V V Brown/ North American Scum by LCD Soundsystem

> A fast paced piece of electronic music which almost overwhelms with its detailed arrangements. The song stands out to the rest of the album, Aethelflaed’s voice at times sounds like a robot. A fun number which does not feel as long as it is.

_Aldhelm:_ “I usually write for someone else or at least with someone in mind, _Everyone’s Fool_ was the attempt to write for no one but myself, which is why it is such a weird song. I tried to pitch it, but no one was interested and if I am honest I understand exactly why. Even I did not truly know what to do with it, but then Aethelflaed picked it up and turned it into her thing.”

**Lovers' Quarrel** (3:20)

♩♬You taught me to sink my teeth into flesh/ And enjoy the taste of blood♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Fuck The Pain Away by Peaches

> A dark song full of edges that will cut you if you are not careful. Dark and unpolished the song presents the biggest departure from the sound Aethelflaed grew popular with: her voice is deep and breaks at times. She growls, she screams. Music critics were divided on the song, some deemed it a successful departure showing Aethelflaed’s versatility. Others felt that she couldn’t pull it off.

_Aethelflaed:_ “This song was tough. I wrote most of it and Aldhelm did the calm minimal arrangement, which meant that my voice had to carry it all. It took me a long time to get the sound right, but I am really happy with what I got in the end.”

**Queen of Everything** (3:46)

♩♬Oh look at her go!/ The so called queen of everything/ ♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Snakeskin & Dynasty by Rina Sawayama

> First Single Release, charted #3: A great orchestral number. The production feels huge and evocative. Aethelflaed’s voice known for its fragility is booming and loud. The evocative tone stands in stark contrast to the lyrics, which are self-deprecating and demeaning. Aethelflaed had already made one song about her role as a pop princess in the second album, but that focused on the negative way the press perceived her. _Queen of Everything_ is about the way Aethelflaed views herself. It’s harsh and unapologetic.

_Fun Fact:_ Today this version is known as _Queen of Everything (Aethelflaed’s version)_. This is the only song on the album where Aldhelm and Aethelflaed argued over the musical arrangement. Aethelflaed wanted it to be huge, while Aldhelm wanted to tone it down. Of course given that it was her album, Aethelflaed’s version became the official one, she, however, released Aldhelm’s version as a Bonus.

**The Raven** (4:10)

♩♬The raven foretold your arrival/ So I started drinking before you got here♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Someone Who’ll Get It by highasakite

> One of the most upbeat songs on the album, showing heavy rock influences. The lyrics are simple and repetitive and again fit the nature and animal motif present throughout the Album. Aethelflaed presents her full range from whispering to screaming.

_Aethelflaed:_ “I got drunk one evening during the creation of the album and just started to loudly sing the lyrics of the song in my hotel room. My neighbours must have hated me. There was just something uplifting about singing them while waiting for my friends and getting drunk. I recorded myself and sent the lyrics to Aldhelm. He already had created a musical arrangement, the morning after. When I heard his arrangements and added lyrics I knew it had to be on the album.”

**Escape Plan** (4:19) / (4:25)

♩♬You called me precious/ Foreshadowing my breaking point♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Run by Snow Patrol/ Run by Amy Macdonald

> The Second Single Release, charted #1  : the heartbreaking ballad and turning point of the album: The arrangement is still grande with violins and cello, but feels less evocative and royal than _Queen of Everything_. Aethelflaed’s voice is back to being soft and almost shaky. The song is actually only 4:19 minutes long. After the great finish, silence fills the room. The feelings linger until Repentance with its dark somber tone picks up again.

_Fun Fact:_ Originally the song was called _Precious_ , but Aethelflaed changed it last minute.

**Repentance** (3:02)

♩♬I know I should regret what I’ve become/ Go on my knees and pray to be clean again♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Forgive Me by Chloe x Halle

> An unapologetic break up song and with that the total opposite of _Queen of Everything_. The arrangement is simple and clearly Aldhelm’s work. Using religious imagery, Aethelflaed mocks her ex lover. Humbleness hides irony. Aethelflaed’s voice cuts through glass as she sings her revenge song. Many people believe that this is addressed to Aethelred, Aethelflaed’s ex fiance, but neither Aethelflaed nor Aethelred have commented on it.

_Aethelflaed:_ “This almost became a single. Mostly because I already had an idea for a dark sultry music video. It would have had it all: Beautiful 20s dresses, Black & White Camera Work, Smudged Lipstick. In the end the other choices won over, but I had it already planned out in my head. “

**Check Mate** (3:45)

♩♬We always start in the afternoon/ Unless the sickness comes to visit you♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ This Side of Paradise by Hayley Kiyoko

> A moody dreamy pop song underlaid with nostalgia and sadness. Aethelflaed’s voice is dream-like. Critics and fans have assumed that the song is about Aethelflaed’s father, Alfred, while Aethelflaed has confirmed this, she also revealed that Aldhelm wrote a big chunk of the lyrics. “Our experiences with our parents fuzed together in this. It was an interesting feeling to watch two very personal experiences find place within the same song.”

_Fun Fact:_ Aethelflaed is an avid chess player and actually follows general chess tournaments throughout the year. Hidden in this song is a chess game that a few youtube chess players have recreated. 

**Lady** (2:30)

♩♬You flatter me/ But I am no good/ Not quite yet at least♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Dissolve Me by alt-J

> A song that lives mostly through it’s calm drum arrangements. The lyrics have created much discourse given that the song is clearly addressed to a woman. It’s a calm love declaration. Aethelflaed’s voice is at her sweetest, but also very somber. As the critic Osferth summarized it: “She sings as if she is smiling throughout the song.”

_Fun Fact_ : When releasing his one and only ep, Aldhelm re-recorded the song, switching bits of the lyrics. It is the only song of his that made it into the charts.

**Day In** (3:30)

♩♬We make Vodka Tonics in the kitchen/ Party on the dining table/ It’s our day in♫♪

 _Songvibe_ : For the Best by Gregory and the Hawk/ Enjoy The Ride by Morcheeba

> A calm song about wasting an entire day inside. The musical arrangement is relaxed and happy. The lyrics remind more of Aethelflaed’s first album.

_Aethelflaed:_ “Truth be told, I have a hate love relationship with this song. For a long time I didn’t want it on the album. The lyrics are just too bubble pop. They reminded me of my old albums and made me frankly angry because I had wanted to get away from that sound. Aldhelm’s musical arrangement convinced me to put the song on the album.”

**Lost (Again)** (3:53)

♩♬And it’s getting dark my love/ Let’s howl at the moon/ See who might come♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Malibu by Miley Cyrus

> Third and last single release, charted #4  : Picking up the theme of the first song both in the lyrics and the musical arrangement _Lost (Again)_ seems like the antithesis to _Lost_ , a light reprise leaving the listener happy and upbeat. The third and last single release made it only to number four in the charts, but managed to stay there for five consecutive weeks. While not her most successful song, it is still the one associated with Aethelflaed and this album the most. 

_Aethelflaed:_ There are two types of lost. There is the one where you are scared and frightened, but there is also the type of freedom found in the feeling. We got the idea for the song, while we were taking a day off from writing. Until then Aldhelm and I had done nothing but written together over Skype or together at the same place, but that day it all seemed too much, so we went outside. It was a beautiful summer day, we knew next to nothing about the city we stayed at. So we just kept on walking, getting lost in the city. By the end of the day we both knew that we wanted to write another version of Lost, capturing this moment.”

**Bonus:**

**Queen of Everything (Aldhelm’s Version)** (3:10)

♩♬And she rolls her eyes/ And pouts/ It is so hard to be Queen of Everything♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode

> Aldhelm’s version of the song is more moody and reminds of English New Wave. Aethelflaed’s voice is monotone and laced with irony.

_Fun Fact:_ When Aethelflaed released the album she made a twitter poll asking which version of the song the people preferred. The answer was not definitive. Critics favour usually Aldhelm’s version over Aethelflaed’s version, but it is the lesser known version of the song.

**Queen of Everything** **_(Aethelwold Remix)_ ** (6:45)

♩♬Look at her going/ She fake smiles for the camera so well♫♪

 _Songvibe:_ Sexy and I know It by LMFAO

> The true club hit of the summer, released one year after the album, the song took hold and climbed up to number one, marking Aethelwold’s second number one hit. Aethelflaed has acknowledged the song multiple times, performing a version of this remix specifically at the Wessex summer festival in his honour.

_Music critic Osferth for the Wessex Times:_ “There has always been this unanimous fight between Aethelflaed’s and Aldhelm’s version. Opinions have varied, but I am glad to say that I might have found the winner and it is neither. [...] The truth is Aethelwold simply gets what _Queen of Everything_ truly is about: Self-Deprecation. I genuinely believe that Aethelflaed’s version was an honest attempt at that, but her orchestral grandeur still projects the confidence of a grand musical diva. Aldhelm’s version tones down the arrangements, but cannot stop itself from being overly clever. Aethelwold’s Remix dumbs it all down and brings in a weird sense of sincerity. This is a song to take Molly to and waste time at too expensive clubs. It’s big and stupid and beautiful.”

**Author's Note:**

> ngl strong urge to write an aethelwold album journey. he would have the best songs.
> 
> anyway if you made it till the end, congrats and thank you! i hope you had some fun.


End file.
